At least one sailor has died when a freighter sank around 4.5 nautical miles southwest of the Greek island of Lesbos. Another twelve crew members are missing.
Only one of the shipwrecked people was discovered, rescued and brought to safety by the crew of a rescue helicopter in the stormy sea, as the broadcaster (ERT) reported in the afternoon, citing the coast guard. The hope of finding more survivors at sea visibly dwindled in the early evening – after dark, the two helicopters involved had to stop the search.
Distress signal sent
According to a coast guard spokesman, the freighter “Raptor” initially reported engine failure and then sent a distress signal in the morning. The ship then disappeared from Coast Guard radar screens. “At this time there were strong winds in the region with waves up to 4.5 meters high,” said the spokesman. The report continued that the cargo was supposed to be salt.
Greek media published photos and videos of the search and rescue operation throughout the day, showing the difficult conditions under which the work took place. The photos were taken, among other things, from the bridge of a Greek warship; You can see how the spray from the high waves washes over the deck of the frigate. In addition to the frigate, three coast guard boats and passing ships also took part in the search for the missing people.
According to the online maritime portal “Marinetraffic.com”, the ill-fated ship was on its way from Egypt to Istanbul under the flag of the island state of Comoros. The crew members are said to come from Syria, India and Egypt.
Heavy storm since Saturday
A severe storm has been raging in southeastern Europe since Saturday. According to the Meteorological Office in Athens (EMY), the winds reach gusts up to force eleven in places – this corresponds to a “hurricane-like storm” with wind speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour. Almost all ferry connections between the Greek islands and the mainland have therefore been temporarily suspended.
